Im Yours
by addicted2vamplit
Summary: He doesn't have time for something as trivial as love. She thinks she is in love but just might have to be proven wrong. When these two meet in the most unlikely of ways, they'll fall in love where it counts most... reality television. AU/AllHuman/ExB
1. Your Edward Cullen?

**I do not/ will not own Twilight (nor am I Stephanie Meyer) for the entirety of this story.**

It was my favourite kind of day. The kind of day where I could walk home from work with my headphones in and dance without regard for what I looked like because it was just _that_ nice out. I was heading home from the office thinking about how in love I was, how beautiful it was out and how the day felt full of promise.

I was excited just thinking about getting home, going out onto my small balcony and reading a book on the padded bench I kept out there for days just like this one.

As I was walking out the door an older gentleman placed a hindering hand on my elbow. His lips were moving but I couldn't hear him over the music blasting in my ears.

"Miss… Miss?" I heard him ask after I pulled out one bud, his voice slow and unhurried.

"Yes?" I answered, eyeing his uniform and the stretch limo that idled behind him.

"I'm here to pick you up, Miss. Right this way," he moved awkwardly on his fragile limbs and opened the door to the car. It appeared to take quite an effort and I felt bad for him having to go to the trouble in the first place as he was obviously mistaken.

I shook my head and closed the door for him so he wouldn't have to expend any more effort on my account. "Sorry, you got the wrong girl," I apologized and started away again, lifting the earpiece up.

He started to speak again as I retreated. "Are you not Miss Isabella Swan? I was certain…"

My head turned involuntarily to the sound of my name. I took a closer look at him. His uniform was crisp and the limo new, screaming money. He had kind old eyes with white hair growing above them and sprouting out of his ears, desperately in need of trimming.

"Yes…?" I said hesitantly in question, wondering who would send a limo for me and how many Isabella Swan's might be coming out of my place of work at the same time as me. The old man moved towards the door again and I dashed to open it myself, before he could. "Who sent you?" I asked him, leaning up against the shiny black frame of the car.

"You're date, of course."

_I knew it_, I jumped at the revelation, _sneaky bastard had something up his sleeve_. We had only been seeing each other 9 months and he pulled an extravagant stunt like a limo, knowing how much I hated when he spent money on me.

I stood there biting my lip as Bob peered at me in silence. I could feel the blood rushing to my face with my frustration just think about the expense.

"Miss?" the driver gestured to the seat which did look remarkably comfortable.

"How about this…" I readied myself for a compromise with the old man. "What's your name?"

"Miss?" he asked looking confused.

"You're name, something you call yourself…"

"Bob?"

"BOB!!" I yelped, excited we were getting somewhere. "Bob. Great name. So I'll call you Bob; we stop with this 'Miss' business and you just call me Bella." I waved my hand in front of my face to shoo away the horrible title.

"Please get in the car, Miss Bella," he nodded, his face grave but his eyes were laughing.

"Well, it's a start," I grumbled, sliding into the heated leather seats.

xXxXxXx

People were trying to see past the tint of the limo's window, trying to get a peek inside. The street was lit up with lights coming from the huge jumbo screens and flashing lights of Times Square.

I usually avoided Manhattan at all cost though somehow, just then, I was sitting in a limo outside the Crowne Plaza. The partition dividing me and Bob slid down, making a quiet whirring sound with its decent.

"I took the liberty of checking you in, Miss Bella," Bob said passing a black leather bound folder through the opening. "You are in the penthouse suite and refreshments will be waiting—"

"But—" I started. Bob didn't seem to hear me (it may have been all that hair in his ears) and kept mumbling instructions.

"…the hotel manager has been notified of your pending arrival and will escort you personally. I will be back in the morning to take you to the airport."

"Airport?!"

My door opened spilling light into the large cab of the car. When I looked back to Bob, the partition had just finished sliding back into place. Another man in uniform held the door open and gestured for me to get out. A gentleman in a suit waited a few paces behind him on the sidewalk. As I stepped out of the car, I noticed a few people had there cell phones out snapping photo's of what they probably assumed was a famous person arriving at the hotel for some torrid affair.

Even the paparazzi waiting, who seemed to be ever present outside hotel like that one, snapped off a few shots.

"Miss Swan," the suited man greeted, holding his hand out to shake. "I'm James Donnelly, the manager here at the Crowne Plaza Times Square. Can I tell you how pleased we are to have stay with us?"

The door to the limo was shut behind me and I cast a quick glance back at the sound. Bob sped off leaving a little cloud of dust as he burned rubber getting back into traffic. Turning back to James, I took hold of his hand.

"Airport?" I breathed, still stunned, by way of greeting.

xXxXxXx

James left me in a room larger in size than my apartment, saying he'd be back in two hours to escort me to the restaurant.

There was a heavy cream envelope with my name inscribed on the outside waiting on the coffee table. My full name.

_Isabella_.

It was not written in my boyfriends' messy scrawl nor would he ever have call me 'Isabella'. I plucked the envelope off the table and turned it over in my hands. The paper had a velvety finish that put to shame every other envelope I had ever touched. After I pulled out the note, I read the beautiful cursive on the page.

_Here you are presented with a chance at love.  
Meet your Prince Charming at 8:30 sharp for a private romantic dinner in the lounge, 'Broadway 49'._

_P.S. Hope you like the dress!_

"The dress?" I asked aloud to the empty room and took a quick look around. It wasn't in the living area so I could only assume it was in the massive bedroom. Then I found it; on the bed there was a short black garment bag with a tag that said '_Open me!_'

I hung the bag on the bathroom door and slowly undid the zipper; holding my breath as each tooth slid apart. I wondered what awaited me inside. The flaps of the bag fell to the side revealing a knee length silky number in midnight blue. I couldn't help but reach out and touch the beckoning fabric. It felt like liquid under my touch as I ran my fingers over the material, smiling.

_He really outdid himself_. After I was done enjoying my evening, I would be sure to rip him a new one.

Standing in front of a wall length mirror, my mouth hung open in awe at how well the dress fit me. The neckline was just revealing enough to tease any on lookers of the goods below and my curves were hugged in all the right places. I didn't own very much blue because he always liked me better in green. Though the shade looked amazing against my milky skin, I wondered why he chose an occasion like this one, to dress me up in a different colour.

As I was finishing touching up my makeup, a knock sounded at the door. I looked at the clock and noted how freakishly punctual James 'the manager here at the Crowne Plaza Times Square' really was. I ran to the door and greeted him, breathless from the short jog.

James breath caught in his throat and he looked taken aback. I felt the familiar blush heat on my cheeks. "Miss Swan!" He said. I gave him a scolding glare after having lectured him on the formalities earlier. "I mean, Bella," he backtracked, picking up my hand and kissing the knuckle. "You are a vision."

I pulled my hand away from his lips as he watched me with a hungry look in his eye. Turning my back on him, I went back into the room in search of the deathtraps that waited for me; four and a half inch silver heels that had no other purpose than to torture.

I put on the first on and it fit like a dream. Wondering what size it was I took a quick look at the sole… and did a double take. "That does not say Jimmy Choo," I groaned.

"Miss… I mean, Bella?" James called from where I left him. "I believe the young man is waiting."

"Coming." I called; thinking about taking off the shoe that was worth more than one month of my salary and wearing the sneakers I came in. I disregarded the idea almost immediately (the sneakers wouldn't have gone with the dress).

The elevator ride down was one of the longest of my life. James kept throwing me lustful glances that made my skin crawl. As soon as we hit the ground floor I got out of the confined space and left as much room between us as possible. James held the glass door to the lounge open for me and I stepped inside, thanking him. He closed it behind me and I watched his retreating figure, gleeful to finally be away from him.

_Now, I have a boyfriend to yell at_, I thought to myself.

I walked up to the bar where a tender stood, polishing glasses with a rag. "Champagne, please." I ordered and watched him pull out an iconic bottle I had only ever seen pictures and on television. Dom Perignon.

"No, the house please," the bar tender laughed and proceeded to pour a healthy sized flute full of the Dom before handing it to me on a napkin.

I looked around the bar and couldn't see the man of the hour. Only one booth in the place seemed to be occupied.

I thought that James had said he was waiting on me.

"Have you seen anyone else here?" I asked, "I'm supposed to be meeting someone."

He pointed to the white plush booth about halfway down the bar where I could see a man in the occupied booth flipping back and forth between some paperwork. The guy's head was down so all I could see was his odd shade of messy hair. I walked closer to him hesitantly, the clicking of my shoes echoing behind me.

"I don't have time for this right now, Tanya!!" I noticed a sleek phone attached to his ear. "Let just settle this out of court and be done with it. It's less than .05 percent of my net worth, for fuck sake."

He listened intently to the voice on the other end of the line. "I know I signed the contract but it was four years ago and I never expected anything to come of it," another pause on his side while I heard the high pitch chatter of the voice on other end. The volume was too low for me to make out what the woman was saying and I felt bad enough for eavesdropping as it was.

"Of course I can't do the show. I have a company to run. If legal had done there job properly I wouldn't even be here."

I cleared my throat. "Excuse me," I spoke softly, not wanting to interrupt what seemed to be an important conversation. His head shot up at the sound of my voice and I was frozen in place by the sheer intensity of his gaze.

His eyes were a startling green that seemingly stared right through to my soul. His bronzish hair fell messily into his eyes, a cut that would look overgrown on anyone else looked indescribably sexy on him. He wore a navy T-shirt under a fitted leather jacket and it clung perfectly to his lean, strong shoulders.

My mouth went dry at the sight of him; a reaction no man had ever elicited from me.

He looked equally stunned to see me, though I wasn't nearly as easy on the eyes as he was. I had no idea who the god in front of me was but I sure as hell wanted to.

"I'm going to have to call you back," he spoke into the receiver, not waiting for an answer before clicking the phone shut.

I stood (like an idiot) at the end of his table while he remained seated in the booth. He opened and closed his mouth a few times and I worried that maybe there was something on my face. With all of the mirrors in the lounge it would have been impossible for me to miss something like that… right?

"Umm…" I started shyly, looking at the seat across from him.

"O-Oh," he stuttered, his voice sounding even more glorious now that it wasn't hushed. "Where are my manners? Please, sit."

I did as he asked; I would probably have done anything he asked as long as he promised not to stop speaking. Taking a big swig of the champagne, I set my glass down next to his nearly empty cocktail.

The man watched me studiously, waiting to see what I'd do next.

It was apparent he wasn't going to start, so I did. "This might seem a ridiculous question but… ummm… who are you?" _Was he the man I'm suppose to be meeting? Where the hell was my boyfriend?_

He looked taken aback by my question and then replaced the look with a crooked grin that could make me melt. Lifting off his seat minutely, he reached across the table. "I'm Edward, Edward Cullen."

I laughed loudly at the familiar name and he smiled at my reaction, dropping his hand awkwardly. "Right," I continued to speak through my chuckle, "You're _the_ Edward Cullen."

"I am," he said laughing with me.

"Edward Cullen, the billionaire. One of only four billionaires under the age of thirty and number 7 on—"

"People's 30 eligible under 30… yep," he jerked a thumb to his own chest, "me."

He didn't look like he was joking. I looked at his face, the one that was now emblazoned on my mind forever because of its sheer beauty. "You're not kidding, are you?"

"Nope," he shook his head, making a popping noise on the 'p'.

"Oh…"

"Would you like some more champagne?" he gestured to my nearly empty drink. I threw back what was left and nodded my agreement.

He grabbed the bartenders' attention and pointed at my glass. "Two, please."

xXxXxXx

**Earlier that same day…**

"No, Emmett. I _really_ can't make it," I wished more than anything that I could spend more time with my family but it just wasn't feasible. I had 263 companies under my belt and they had thousands more subsidiaries. They demanded a disproportional amount of my time.

"It's just one round of ball, bro," he whined through the phone. "One round!!"

"I'm sorry, guy," I apologized. It seemed all I ever did anymore was apologize to him. "We're almost done on this deal with that pharmaceutical company and then, _maybe_ we can play ball. We can play ball in Hawaii if you want."

"Are you trying to buy your brothers love?" he teased, "…cause' its working!" I laughed into the phone, missing the banter me and my siblings used to share.

"Mr. Cullen," a driver with a stretch limo called. I nodded for the elderly fellow to open the door for me while I slid in, phone still attached to my ear. I didn't recognize the driver but shrugged it off, figuring my regular driver had been detained.

The inside of the limo wasn't familiar either. Usually the cars were fairly standardized, though I wasn't about to argue with the additional features.

"I really miss you, Edward," Emmett sighed disheartened, "Mom wants to know when you're going to visit…?"

"Soon, I promise."

"That's what you said 3 weeks ago."

I sighed, not wanting to put it off any longer. "I know I said that...just as soon as this last merger is done."

"Okaaaay," he whined, "love you man."

"Love you too, Em." I clicked my phone shut and realized the anticipation for my next visit built considerably. "I gotta get home." I sighed to myself in the back seat. Finally taking a look at my surroundings, I noticed we weren't headed anywhere near my apartment. We were fairly close to Times Square (an area of the city I avoided at all costs).

"Excuse me, you're headed the wrong direction," I yelled as I pushed on the button for the divider to go down. There was a brief pause in traffic, allotting enough time for the driver to look over his shoulder at me.

"I don't believe so, sir."

I made a mental note to call the company and advised them that senility was not a quality I appreciated in my staff. "Well, I do."

"Crowne Plaza, sir?" he asked, his voice shaking. I wasn't sure if it shook with fear or age, so I decided to soften my tone.

"No. Home, please," I instructed. He started driving again but didn't change course. A moment later he pulled up along side the curb in front of the hotel.

"I'll see you in the morning, sir."

The door opened to the cool evening air and a man in a suit seemed to be waiting impatiently for me there. A few flashes of light went off in my eyes as I got out but I was accustomed to the glare and put on my shades.

"Hello, Mr. Cullen," he greeted. I hated men like him; sleazy and (more often than not) unprofessional. "If I may, sir, you are one lucky bastard."

He didn't appear to be the exception.

"My name is—" I chose that moment to interrupt.

"I honestly don't care what your name is. All I need to know is what I'm doing here!?"

The man started at my harsh tone and looked back at me with disbelief. "This way," he said, gesturing to the lobby doors, "The lady will be down in a few moments." I followed him begrudgingly to the empty lounge. This time of day it should have been packed with the after work crowd but it appeared to be just me and the bartender.

"A Manhattan, please," I requested, "and no I'm not being ironic. It's really what I want to drink." Picking up a tent card that had my name on it, I flipped it over and read the short message.

_Enclosed in the folder is a contract you may recognize._  
_Your date should be down shortly and welcome to, 'I'm Your*s'_

I flipped the card over to see if I missed any additional writing, as what I had already read made no sense.

"Your drink, sir," he slid it across the bar into my waiting hand. I picked up the leather bound folder and nodded my thanks before making my way to a booth halfway down the bar. I settled myself in and opened the first folder. At the top of the page there was a standardized form.

Print Full Name:

_Oh no_. This could not be what I thought it was.

Address:  
Phone:  
In Case of Emergency Contact:

Sign Name:

There it was. My signature. I read the short clause above.

**I have read and understood all the following conditions. I, henceforth, shall be available for up to five years for the filming of a reality TV production with **_**Twilight Television**_**.**

_No, no, no, no, NO_!! I flipped open my phone and hit the speed dial for my secretary's cell phone. "Go for Tanya," she answered. I hated when she answered so informally on the company's cell phone.

"Just a sec," I mumbled as I scanned through the inconsequential jargon.

"You called me, boss. 'Just a sec' should be my line." I groaned at her inability to not share her opinion.

**If you choose to decline within the validity of the contract, then you may be sued for damages between 250,000 and 2million dollars by **_**Twilight Television**_**.**

_Oh good, something I can buy my way out of_.

"Sorry, it's probably just a false alarm," I let out my held breath of relief. I heard her sigh into the phone impatiently, waiting for my explanation. "Four years ago I signed a contract to get onto a reality TV show looking for love, apparently I got on."

"Reality TV?!" she squealed.

"Yeah, but they'll _only_ sue me if I don't do it," I said flipping the page. A Polaroid of myself from college lay on top of the stack.

She whined indignantly into the phone. "You have the chance of a lifetime and you're not going to go through with it!" I could picture the pout she surely was wearing on her face. "What if you really did find love?"

"I don't have time for this right now, Tanya!!" I whispered harshly. "Let just settle this out of court and be done with it. It's less than .05 percent of my net worth, for fuck sake."

"I don't think you should say no, boss. Being sued is not good for your image and definitely wouldn't be good for the company," she reasoned. "Beside, you signed a contract and the Edward Cullen I know would never back out."

"I know I signed the contract but it was four years ago and I never expected anything to come of it--"

"Admit it, boss. You're stuck. You have to do the show."

"Of course I can't do the show. I have a company to run. If legal had done there job properly I wouldn't even be here." They were supposed to have the low down on all my affairs. I can't see how they could have missed this. There would have had to be paperwork and phone calls, all with my name being thrown around.

A voice cleared at the end of my table and I looked up into a face I never thought I'd see again. My mouth dropped open but no sound would come out.

Bella _Effin_' Swan was standing in front of me in the most brilliant blue dress imaginable.

In her hand, she elegantly wielded a flute of champagne and I couldn't help but think how appropriate that was; a celebratory drink to commemorate finally laying eyes on her again. I had heard she was in town from an old college buddy but in a place as big as New York, never dreamed I would run into her.

"Edward…? EDWARD!?!" Tanya screamed on the other end of the line.

"I'm going to have to call you back."

**I know, I know. I'm horrible at updating as it is. BUT I finished my **_**first**_** fanfiction today (Just Another Girl) and what better way to celebrate then starting a new one. MBM will be updated right away!!**

**Warning: This story will not be very long.**

**If you liked the chapter and wish for me to continue, you should say so in a review. **


	2. Who's Bob?

_**CHAPTER TWO!! Hope you guys like. Thanks for the reviews.**_

_Edward Cullen… hmm… Edward Cullen. _The bronze haired Adonis, sitting across the table from me groaned an impatient groan.

"What?" I questioned, unsure of what was aggravating him.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked, looking annoyed.

I couldn't very well say 'you' so, I asked another question of my own. "Why do you want to know?"

"Well," he laughed and his hair fell into his eyes, "Most women I, usually, find really easy."

I felt my eyes widen in surprise at his choice of words. He looked confused by my reaction at first and then backtracked. "To _read_. Easy to read," he clarified.

"Oh…" I said lamely.

"They're usually thinking about, either, money or their cats. Except you… You're a mystery to me," he took a sip of his champagne and smiled appreciatively. "That's really good."

"I agree," I sighed, taking another sip from my own glass. Edward Cullen (the billionaire) handed me a menu.

"So…?"

"So, what?"

"What were you thinking about?" he repeated his question, seeming just as annoyed as when he first asked.

I decide to go with a play on the truth. "I was thinking, 'Why am I sitting, here about to eat dinner, with _the _Edward Cullen?'"

He smiled, amused by my answer. To think, _I_ could amuse a guy who probably spent all day fending off (or not) the advances of many women. The moment I thought about these other women, something tightened in my chest.

"You don't know?" he laughed. "I would have thought they would have told you by now. How'd they get you here? I mean, get you dressed up and everything?" I was really getting tired of the answering a question with another thing we had going for us.

I blushed at his inquiry, embarrassed how long it had been that I was under the impression that I was meeting my boyfriend. "It's silly really," he leaned forward in his seat as my voice dropped in volume. "I thought my boyfriend was surprising me."

Edward fell back into his seat as if I pushed him there. His face had a look of… I didn't have time to identify it as he wiped it clean and replaced it with a crooked grin. "Well, this should be interesting," he sighed, sliding a leather folder across the table.

I set my menu aside and opened the black folder. 'I'm Your*s' was engraved in the leather. "What's this?" The first page was full of impossibly small writing that I would need a dictionary to decipher. Being an English major wouldn't help me understand the legalities on the page.

The next page was a form with my name printed on the top. Something tugged at the edges of my memory as I looked down at my old information: my dorm address I shared with Jessica Stanley, my old emergency contact whom had passed away since, my signature.

"I'm Your*s?" I said out loud in question, looking up to see Edward staring off into space. "Edward?"

He jumped at the sound of his name and turned his attention to me. "Uh… yeah. It's a reality TV show. It looks like they've gone through several different, equally corny, names for the show. Meet Your Match… To Love a Stranger… Living in Love--"

"I get the idea! So**, **what does this have to do with me?!"

He smiled a wicked and sly smile; like at a joke, except he was the only one who heard the whole punch line. "Well we're the participants, of course."

It took me a moment to understand what he was saying, "Huh?"

"It appears _I'm _yours and vice versa." This man, a stranger to me, appeared to be completely at ease. I, on the other hand, was freaking out.

"_WHAT_?!" I shrieked hysterically. The bartender dropped a glass at the sudden pitch in my voice. "I can't be on a TV show. I have work and a boyfriend and a life--"

"Nevertheless, you did sign a contract."

"In _college_. They weren't supposed to pick me. It was meant as a joke. My roommate made me!!" I was going to_ kill_ her. I was going to find a phone book, track her down and kill her. "There has to be some mistake. I'm a nobody. I'm plain. I'm a book editor from Jersey, for God sake. They have that entry video; they must have mixed mine up with someone else's. Who do I have to speak to, you know, to get this straightened out?"

He flipped over my application form to the next page. Underneath was a Polaroid of me, which I had no memory of having been taken, and a DVD. "I think they got the right girl." Edward leaned back in his chair and started flipping through his menu again as if the whole affair was of no consequence. "We have to live together in a house in an undisclosed location for 3 months with little contact to the outside world; doing all the little tasks and challenges that are asked of us. Then, in the finale, America will decide if we love each other or not."

"Well, I can't do it," I shook my head and pushed the folder away. He put one finger on the spine and pushed it back, before returning his attention to his menu.

Edward continued to speak as if I hadn't said anything.

"If we are deemed 'In Love' we would be compensated handsomely. If in the event you choose not to do the show, the production company will sue you for damages--"

"I. Can't. Do. It." I interrupted him through my teeth.

"--A minimum of 250,000 dollars."

_Minimum?! _"3 months, huh?"

"Yes, three months alone in a house with me. How will you ever manage?" He lifted his gaze from the menu. I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or cocky at the time.

"I thought you weren't doing the show," I spoke evenly to him. Even if I couldn't have bought my way out of this, he surely could (and would). There was nothing to keep him on the show. After I spoke, I noticed his face had drained of all its color and he cleared his throat.

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked and adjusts the fabric around his neck.

I desperately wanted to do the show with him but he had already said he wasn't going to. "But you said--"

"I have had a change of heart. This is the chance of a lifetime, how could I not?"

Although I'm not sure how this could have been the 'chance of a lifetime' for someone who could have almost anything he wanted… I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. I had to ask myself if I was happy that, if I was in this at all, at least it was with a nice guy. Or was I maybe happy that I was in this with Edward…?

"How do you feel about starting with the dessert and working backwards?" he asked, breaking me from my concentration. "I've always wanted to do that."

"Me, too," I laughed and nodded my agreement. He pointed to a mouth-watering picture in the menu.

"Cheesecake?"

_Yes_, I thought. _We are going to get along just fine_.

**

* * *

**

Dinner was great. Edward and I fell into a comfortable easy banter as if we were old friends. The real problems came when I finally worked up the courage to pick up the phone.

The clock flashed on the bedside table, just after midnight. I wondered (momentarily) if I should call him or wait 'till morning, knowing he'd be furious if I chose the second option. I called his cell phone and it only rang half a ring before he picked up.

"Bella?!" he answered; sounding worried and out of breath.

"It's me," I breathed, falling back onto the massive bed and throwing my shoes aside. I reveled in how comfortable the mattress was under me.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?! I've been worried sick," I had to hold the phone away from my ear to avoid going deaf. "I called your work and they said you left at the normal time. I called your cell and you didn't answer. I went by your apartment and you weren't there!!"

"Mike," I tried to interrupt but he ignored me.

"Where were you? Why are you calling from…," There was a quick break in his string of questions as he checked the caller ID, "The Crowne Plaza?! How did you get to Manhattan?"

"Well--"

"What are you doing in Manhattan? You're not staying in the hotel are you? You can't even afford a car, Bella. How are you staying at the Pla--"

"MIKE!!" I scream to get his attention.

He huffed, indignantly, on the other end of the line, "You should have, at ."

"I know and I'm sorry," I apologized.

"I was really worried," he whined playfully.

"I'm really _realllly _sorry," I whispered huskily. "Please forgive me. If it makes you feel any better, I thought I was meeting you."

"It does. So… who were you meeting?" he asked, having got over his worry but not his twenty questions.

I laughed into the receiver, trying to lighten the mood. "The guy I'm supposed to fall in love with."

Silence. He mustn't have thought it was funny.

"I don't think I'm getting it. Is this one of those jokes you tell that I don't understand?" I hated it when he didn't get my humor.

"No, Mike, it's not." I sighed, sitting up to play with the hem of my beautiful dress. I regretfully took off the silky material and slipped between the equally silky sheets. "I'm going to be on this…this reality TV show. I signed a 5 year contract back in college and--"

"They picked you…?" he hesitantly interrupted in question.

"Yeah and I'm supposed to fall in love with this Edward guy." There was no need to freak him out by telling him which Edward it was. "I just have to live with him for 3 months and then I can come right back home."

Mike sighed heavily into the phone. "Why would you need to go onto television for love when you have me right here?"

"Unless you have a quarter million lying around, I don't have much choice."

It sounded like he was holding his breath. "When do you leave?" he final asked me.

I prepared myself for more yelling, "Tomorrow."

"TOMORROW!!"

After much debating and many declarations of love, I readied myself for our goodbye. I told Mike how much I would miss him.

"Don't go falling in love with this guy."

"I won't," I assured him, as I had many times over. "I love you and three months is not about to change that."

"Three months is a long time."

A long time… A long _long _time… to spend all alone… with a very attractive man. "It's not that long," I lied.

"I'll see you when you get back. I love you."

"Goodnight, Mike," I sighed sleepily before hanging up the receiver.

**

* * *

**

Knock, knock…

"Mike, could you get that?" I mumbled into my pillow.

Another light tap echoed from the door as I felt the sheets beside me. Only, he wasn't there. "Bella?" A velvety voice sounded through the door. Even muffled his voice sounded sexy as hell. At the sound of it, my eyes snapped open to see the beautiful hotel room I had fallen asleep in. Upon glancing at the clock I realized I was supposed to be ready in fifteen minutes.

I shot up in bed and looked around the room again. It was so decadent in its entirety, such a stark contrast to my room at home, that I shrieked loudly with my excitement.

"Bella?!" He said more worried. I threw the covers off me to grab the big terry cloth robe that was hanging from the back of the bathroom door. I couldn't very well have answered the door in my underwear.

"BELLA!!" he yelled, no longer muffled having somehow got into the room. I snapped my robe shut, but not before he got a full view of my scantily clad body. He turned away quickly and shielded his eyes. "I..I-I'm sorry. I…I heard you scream and had James o-open the door. I was worried about you."

I blushed and finished tying off the robe in front. "It's okay. You can look now."

He put his hands in his pockets and stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. If I wasn't mistaken, I might have thought he was blushing too; although it might have just been the light. "The limo's here."

"OH!! Bob! I completely forgot." I started hurrying around the room until I remembered all I had with me were my jeans and T-shirt from the day before. Looking over to Edward, I noticed he too was wearing his outfit from the night before.

"What are we going to do for clothes?" I asked as I went to the bathroom to change. I left the door open a crack so I could hear him through it.

"They said we could go shopping with a camera crew when we got there," he called back. I watched him in the mirror through the crack I left in the door as I pulled my jeans over my hips; only looking down to do up the button.

When I looked back in the mirror, I met his eyes for an instant before he looked away again. In that instant I heard no sound, I was just trapped by his emerald gaze and my body responded favorably. My heart rate picked up and my breathing hitched. When I regained the use of my arms I closed the door quickly and took a deep calming breath.

I looked back at myself in the mirror this time. _Do _NOT _go falling in love with this guy._

As I ran my fingers through my hair and pulled my shirt over my head, I realized there really wasn't anything else I could do. I opened the door to find Edward sitting on the bed. His eyes widen and he didn't say anything for a moment.

"You ready?" he asked me, standing up and averting his eyes.

"Yep," I replied, sensing his discomfort. He had seen my nearly naked body, not once but twice in a short amount of time; maybe it was my own discomfort I was feeling.

As I started walking away he put a hand on my arm and my whole body seized. The heat that radiated from his light touch was paralyzing. I turned my neck slowly to look in his dangerously mesmerizing eyes. "Wait…" he sighed. I sucked in a breath and nodded for him to continue. "Who's Bob?"

I shook my head and laughed, making my way out to the hall.

The elevator ride down was long; not because of the obvious tension between Edward and I but from James profusely apologizing for allowing Edward into the room, unjustly.

"He insisted Mi**-- **I mean, Bella. I ask for your forgiveness and will do anything to accommodate your needs in the future. Consider your next stay with us complimentary and I would be happy to get you a drink during your stay." I kept shooting Edward glances, hoping he would save me from James's onslaught but all he did was grind his teeth and stare straight ahead.

"Thank you, James," I whispered as we hit the ground floor. He nodded and took my hand, raising it to his lips in a kiss. I cringed at his touch and pulled my hand back as subtly as possibly.

As soon as the doors opened, Edward was through it and half way across the lobby. I nodded my goodbye to James and followed after him. He only paused when he reached the front door for someone to open it and then he was through that door as well.

"Thank you," I whispered as I passed through the door that was still held open.

"Miss," he greeted with a tilt of his hat. I winced at the title but continued on.

The same paparazzi snapped off a few more pictures. When I stopped next to Edward on the curb, their picture taking increased tenfold. I yelped in surprise when one got too close. A moment later, Edward had me tucked safely under his arm.

"Back off," he hissed menacingly. The long sleek limo pulled up and Edward opened the door for me. I hastily (and clumsily) jumped into the large interior. He jumped in much more gracefully behind me.

"Are you okay?" he asked, brushing my hair away from my face. His fingers left a heated trail in their wake. I scooted away from him on the seat. He, hesitantly, reached a hand towards me and I shook my head 'no'.

"I'm sorry about that," he told me regretfully, hanging his head. "That was my fault but in a couple of months I'm sure you'll have your very own paparazzi."

"Lucky me," I mumbled under my breath.

The divider slid down to reveal a pair of familiar bushy eyebrows in the rear-view mirror.

"BOB!!" I yelled, happy to see a friendly face.

"Miss Bella."

"Bob?" Edward questioned, scrunching his forehead in concentration.

"Mr. Cullen."

"BOB!!" he exclaimed spiritedly.

I looked at Edward like he was crazy and he looked back to me with a smile. _Okay_, I thought to myself, _so maybe he was crazy_. I broke out laughing at his expression and any tension we shared from earlier, effectively disappeared.

"I just wanted to wish you a good morning, Miss Bella. Let me know if you need anything."

"Good morning, Bob." I laughed before he had the chance to put the screen back in place.

**

* * *

**

We pulled into 'La Guardia' and a slew of photographers and cameramen that were waiting for us. I stared, open mouthed, out the tinted windows as people banged on them. One man, wearing a suit and dark shades, pushed his way to the front. I heard him open the door to the front cab and slam it shut behind him.

"Damn vultures," he muttered, before the dark partition moved down and his head popped through the opening, leaving none of his body visible.

"Hi, guys. I'm Tyler Crowley, your manager, your friend, your everything. You--" he pointed at both Edward and me with his hands that magically appeared by his floating head, "--are going to be my masterpieces. We will be legend."

Edward and I were sitting side by side in the back seat and exchanged disbelieving glances.

"Mr. Cullen," Tyler held out his hand to 'pound'. Edward ignored the gesture. "Huge fan of yours. Ambition, smarts, looks… What's not to admire? And Miss Swan!"

"Bella, actually." I correct him.

"Even more beautiful then your picture and the small screen does _not _do you justice." I shook the hand he held out to me. "Great work by the way, guys. I watched the amazing footage from dinner and in the hotel room this morning. Brilliant. I'm worried you two will melt a lens or two before we are through." He took a deep breath and reached back into the cab.

I caught a glimpse of a shoulder connected to the arm; the only proof he was not just a decapitated floating head. "I hear the limo footage is great too, but seeing as it just happened I haven't had a chance to look it over."

"You were filming us?!" I exclaim in surprise, trying to remember if I had done anything particularly embarrassing in the last 12 hours. "Already?"

"Reality television, Baby. Get used to it." I was about to punch the guy in the face when he pulled his arm back through the opening. I placed my hands back in my lap and smiled sweetly at him. "Here's your itinerary for today and you will have one almost everyday. I'm afraid that you guys are big news so there are a lot of reporters here but where you're going hasn't been disclosed to anyone and is fairly remote so you should be fine there."

"I insist you get airport security here for Bella's safety." I jumped at the sound of Edward voice, after his not-having-said-anything for the entire exchange. He wasn't looking at me as he made the order and wouldn't look at me after.

Tyler looked between the two of us and smiled. "Right away, Mr. Cullen," he nodded then turned his attention to me. "Have a good flight, Bella," After that, he was gone just as fast as he appeared.

"Why do you do that?" I asked Edward, disbelieving.

"I don't know what you mean," he replied, seemingly watching the people outside the window. Before I could have sworn he had shown no interest in them, yet just then he seemed fascinated.

"Never mind then…" I trail off.

Two burly men in uniform bounded toward the car, "Your escorts are here." With that said, Edward stepped out into the crowd of people and I was left all but alone inside.

"Good luck," Bob's old frail voice strained to overshadow that of the noise spilling inside. "Good Luck… Bella."

"Thanks Bob," I smiled with a newfound courage.

I stepped into the throng of bodies and was almost immediately assaulted by the flashing lights and screaming people; all screaming my name or questions about that status of my relationship with Edward or how I felt about the show. The whole scene was very intimidating and my palms began to sweat. _So much for courage_. I felt myself start to get faint and my breathing… _NO!_

I had to keep it together.

"This way, Miss." The first security guard helped me through the crowd and doors. A section had been roped off so I could walk with less resistance. Edward was several paces in front of me.

"BELLA!! BELLA!" I heard one call above the loud cacophony of voices. His voice was panicked and shrill but I recognized it. "Bella! Over here."

I scanned the front line of people and spotted him. I ran into his arms and help him step over the barricade. A few more flashes went off at our embrace.

"Mike," I smiled, earnestly happy to see him, "What are you doing here?"

"I needed to see you… before you left." I took a step back from him and ran my gaze over his clothes (which were rumpled) and his face; eyes red as well as sunken.

"You haven't slept," I scolded. He rubbed his hands over his face to hide the evidence of my statement.

"I couldn't. I've been so worried of losing you and…" he glanced over my shoulder and stared. He quickly looked back to me with disbelief. "EDWARD CULLEN!"

"Mike," I tried to use my most soothing voice. I chanced a glance over my shoulder where I could see Edward watching me. His hair was perfectly tousled and his clothes hung nicely from his figure. When I looked back to Mike, I couldn't help but notice how sleep deprived and unkempt was not a good look for him.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I knew you'd freak out."

"I'm going to lose you," he stated, tightening his grip on my waist. I felt Edward's eyes boring into my back. "I'm going to lose you to the pretty boy that can offer you so much more than I can."

"Mike," I repeated and touched my forehead to his. "I'm with you. I lo…I love you." _Why was it harder to say then it ever had been before?_ I asked myself.

"I'm not going to lose you to the pretty boy with money…?" he asked, pulling me even closer.

"No," I whispered, sensing Edward's approach. I wasn't a fan of PDA so I started to pull away but Mike wasn't having any of that. He kept my body close to his and kissed me deeply.

He stuck his tongue deep in my mouth as I leaned away and push on his shoulders to get him to stop. I did _not _want him kissing me like that in front of all those people. Plus, if I was being completely honest with myself, I didn't want him kissing me like that in front of Edward. Guilt tugged at my heart and I worried for a moment if Mike's fears weren't unfounded.

A moment later Edward cleared his throat to get our attention. Mike smiled and turned toward him, knowing that Edward saw his affectionate display. I blushed, turning toward him as well.

Edward looked livid. His face was red and his lips were pulled into a tight grimace.

"Hi, I'm Mike. Bella's boyfriend," he reached out to shake Edward's hand, a smug look on his face. Edward ignored the gesture again; a habit I was going to have to talk with him about.

"Edward Cullen, Bella's Love… At least I will be," Edward looked between Mike and I and smiled. My mouth dropped open in astonishment and Mike missed a beat. "For television anyway. At least I won't have to kiss her in public when she is clearly uncomfortable with it, _just_ to mark my territory. I just get to have her all to myself for 90 days… However, you already knew all that, right?"

Mike dropped his arms and his fists shook by his side. "If you think--" Mike seethed.

I stepped in between both of them and put a hand on their chests. Mike's chest was shaking with anger where as Edward felt steady and toned; that overwhelming tingling sensation filled the arm that's resting against him.

"I think--" Edward interrupted and glanced down at my hand. When he looked back up his eyes had softened a little, "That you're pathetic display earlier is reprehensible and you should apologize to Bella for not stopping when she tried to push you away."

"I _won't_ apologize for kissing my girlfriend."

"Then I'll see to it she isn't your girlfriend much longer," Edward whispered harshly with an air of finality before storming toward the gate. I turned to Mike and started to back away slowly.

"Baby, don't…" he whispered, pleading.

"I don't have a choice, Mike! I'll see you when I get back."

I turned away and marched down the length of roped off carpet; my newly acquired entourage walking either side of me.

"I love you!!" Mike screamed after me. I smiled and waved over my shoulder before disappearing through the gate doors. Edward waited on the other side looking ashamed.

"Bella, I--" he started to apologize. I interrupted before he could.

"I'm not talking to you right now," I told him matter-of-factly, as if I didn't have a care in the world.

"But he--"

"He was in the wrong, yes. But he's my problem, not yours," I breezed past Edward in the direction I saw the private planes were to depart from. He walked behind me silently. When I reached the tarmac, and a small jet, a man greeted me; introducing himself as the pilot.

"Can you tell me where we are going?"

"Montana, Miss," he answered.

"What's in Montana?" I asked, curious as to why that location.

"Not much, Miss," he replied with the hint of a smile on his, up until then, serious face. "I think that's the point."

I heard Edward clamoring up the staircase to the plane behind me. "I know you aren't speaking to me but… Do you know where we're going?"

"Montana," I responded curtly.

"What's in Montana?"

I couldn't help but laugh, "Not much…"

**_REVIEW!!_ MBM will be updated next_._**


	3. Costco?

**BPOV**

We stood in front of the automatic doors, the four of us: Edward, me, Joey and Steve (our cameramen) armed with one of those two tiered metal monstrosities they have the nerve to call a shopping cart, even though steering them is comparable to driving a Mac truck. We also had an extremely comprehensive shopping list:

**Digital Video Recorder**  
**Food**  
**Clothes**

I looked over to Edward whose eyes were huge and his mouth open in shock. "Costco!?" he questioned breathlessly, as if the name of it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"What did you expect?" I asked putting my hands on my hips. "Marc Jacobs? We're in Gardiner, Montana, Edward. I'm pretty sure they don't have a mall."

Joey moved around us to get a different angle on our conversation. I tried to ignore his movement in my peripheral.

Edward mumbled, "I don't remember you being this hostile," throwing a glance in my direction to see if I heard him. I looked back at him questioningly. Just as I was about to ask when I even had the chance to be hostile, he started talking again. "You should keep the zingy one-liners up, you know," he said and started to walk away. "They'll make for great television."

"What are you talkin--?"

He raised his hands up and air quoted, "'What did you expect… Marc Jacobs?" Putting one hand over his heart reverently, he sighed, "I can see the T-shirt now."

I tried desperately to hide the smile that was threatening.

"Maybe one of those front and back shirts…" he hinted. I could see he was trying to make me laugh… and it was working. I giggled and put my hand up to my mouth to hide it.

"HA!! I saw that," Edward pointed at me accusingly, "I made you smile!!"

"Did not," I argued as he took a few quick steps toward me and the cart. I gasped in surprise at his nearness when he stopped immediately next to me; close enough I could feel his body heat through my clothes. His eyes were glinting with amusement.

"Hop in," he breathed quietly. I had to shake my head of the fog he created and took a step back to regain my senses.

"What?" I asked trying to even out my breathing and hoping he didn't notice it had changed in the first place.

Edward gestured to the top basket of the cart, "Hop in, I'll push you."

"I'm twenty-four years old, Edward," I smiled and started to walk around the other side of the cart. "I'm not getting pushed around in a cart." Just as I was passing the end, I felt two strong arms clasp around my waist and pick me up as if I weighed nothing.

I shrieked (even though he was being extremely careful with me) and a moment later felt the cold steel under my bum. Before he could protest Edward pushed the cart, so unexpectedly that I fell backward against his chest. I looked up into his smiling eyes and couldn't help but smiling back at him.

"That's not so bad, is it?" he asked. I nodded my head, not sure if I could form words with our faces in such close proximity. He relaxed at my reaction as I sat up and crossed my legs more comfortably. "Good… First stop," he said in an announcer voice and pulled a hard left, "Electronics."

**

* * *

**

I was walking along side the cart, (that was too full of groceries to accommodate me anymore) pointing our new video camera at Edwards face, doing a close up on the inside of his nose.

"Why do you think they wanted us to get a camera?" I asked him. He shrugged and threw an extra large family sized bag of pretzels in the cart.

"I dunno. Why did you have to pick the only fuchsia camera they had?" he retorted, annoyed.

I smiled and snapped the camera shut. "I thought boys liked pink," he stuck his tongue out at me, a look so cute on him I wish I hadn't shut the camera off. "I think that filming from our perspective is brilliant… besides, if we get really bored we can re-enact The Blair Witch Project."

"Believe me," he said as he stopped the cart. He stretched as high as his tippy toes would allow for some spices. "I will _never _be that bored," his voice sounding strained from reaching. When he gave up trying to get it he asked Steve to. I watched as Steve reached it with little difficulty, all the while filming with the camera on his shoulder.

"Thaaaaanks, Steeeeve," I sang, wondering to myself why the lemon pepper was next to the pretzels. I handed Edward the pink camera to use for a while and started pushing the cart myself.

He fiddled with the small device a moment before letting out a frustrated sigh. "How do even you use this thing?"

"I don't know," I said, rolling my eyes at him, "Why don't you try pressing recor--"

The cart in my hands jarred with a force so hard that I fell on my butt. Edward looked down at me, shocked at first, then amused as I was sprawled on the floor. "I let you drive for two seconds," he shook his head laughing and I noticed a small red light by his finger. "By the way, I found the record button."

"I am so sorry," I heard the oversized bag of pretzels say in a tinkling voice. I looked curiously at my over flowing cart and shrieked when a small spiky head popped out from behind it. "I didn't see you coming and _nobody _ever sees me coming and one thing led to another…" the owner of the melodic voice continued speaking at an incredible speed.

"And look at you, gone and fell on your ass all because of little ol' me." She spoke with a slight twang, a Montana twang I had yet to become accustomed to but had heard plenty of times over the course of the day. She was short with spiky dark hair, her features all small and sharp, like a pixie's. "I'm Alice Whitlock," she reached her hand out and grasped mine, pulling me to my feet with a strength I didn't think someone as small as her could possess.

"This is my husband, Jasper," she said, holding her hand out to a tall blonde gentleman behind her. She only came to about midway up his chest but I could tell by his calm exterior he probably balanced her well in height as well as disposition.

When I was in my full and upright position, I could see our carts had collided head on. It didn't look like she veered to miss me at all but then again; she might not have been tall enough to see me.

"And you are?" she asked, still holding my hand.

"Bella," I introduced and glanced over my shoulder to Edward, who looked like he was still laughing. Alice released my hand and reached out to him. "And this is Edward," I said, stepping out of her way.

Both Jasper and Alice shook his hand and she apologized again enthusiastically.

"I just know we'd make great friends, we should do something… and soon," Alice said as she grabbed her cart and Jasper before heading down the aisle we just finished.

"S-sure… umm, okay," I stuttered, unsure where that came from.

"It's a small town. I'm sure I'll run into you. You guys have a good day now, you hear?!" She prattled and turned her back. Edward and I watched their hasty retreat curiously. I could vaguely hear her say something to Jasper along the lines of 'I think that went quite well'.

It wasn't until she rounded the corner that I noticed her cart was completely empty.

**

* * *

**

All the boxes didn't fit into the trunk, so many were stacked in the backseat with us. It didn't matter much as we found ourselves in the back of another stretch limo; though the driver wasn't nearly as nice as Bob.

"First pet?" Edward asked with a smirk.

"Miss Kitty Fantastico. First Job?" I returned.

"Lemonade stand. First kiss?"

"We're here, folks," the driver interrupted. All I could see were yellowish green hills in all directions but sure enough, rounding the next corner we came across a gated drive. The wrought iron opened up and the circular driveway brought us to the front step of a huge house.

My jaw dropped at the sight of it. Tyler waited at the top of the steps with a cell phone attached to his ear. Edward stepped out of the car first and held out his hand to assist me.

"No, I can't go to your parents on Sunday. I'm in Montana all week…" Tyler was saying into the phone, his back still turned on us. "Baby, you know I can't tell you where I am. I signed a confidentiality agreement." There was another pause on his side of the conversation. "Yes, Edward is as hot in person as he was in the magazine…" he said loudly as he turned around and finally noticed our presence. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw us, his face taking on a mask of horror when he looked at Edward. "Gotta go," he said in the receiver and made a kissy noise before hanging up.

"Heeyyy guuuyys," he said, extending each word to uncomfortable lengths. He looked down and blushed furiously. "Welcome to your humble abode," he swung his arm around indicating a double French door.

I laughed, trying to ease the tension and pointed at the monstrosity before me. "Humble?" I asked

He smiled thankfully and nodded, the all business Tyler making his triumphant return. "Yes, Bella. If by humble you mean 9,000 square feet with indoor _and _outdoor pools," he fumbled with the door knob a moment before opening it into a grand foyer. There was a wide staircase leading to the upper level, the front room opening up to a high windowed ceiling.

"Equipped with all the amenities of a romantic getaway; master bedroom with en-suite and Jacuzzi. There is a stable out back. You will have to tend to the horses yourselves when your challenges don't prevent you from doing so. Light cleaning will be provided but they will only come in when you're not here."

All I could do was nod, still stunned by the foyer alone. Edward was looking around with casual appreciation but didn't seem too fazed. "Unfortunately I can't stay and give you the grand tour. Rule books are in the kitchen and you will receive a call on the house phone tomorrow regarding your itinerary."

Without saying goodbye he turned and left, his shoes echoing off the tile. He flipped his cell open again and started speaking. "Erik! ERIK! Calm down," he said into the phone as he started down the stairs to the now empty limo; all our purchases lying mysteriously inside the front door.

"I didn't hang up on you because I wanted to, Baby…" I heard him assure the person on the other side of the phone. "No, I do not love my job more then you--" Tyler shut the door behind him and the limo sped away.

Edward and I faced each other silently. He shook his head and laughed. "I _so _didn't see that one coming." We laughed together before turning toward the heaping mountain of boxes.

"Did you hear anyone moving those boxes?" I asked; confused as to how I could have missed it.

He shrugged and moved to pick up a few of them. In his best imitation of Tyler, he said, "That's reality television! Get used to it."

"Guess we should probably find the kitchen," I said grabbing a few boxes myself. "Wouldn't want to break any 'rules' before we even begin."

"No," he said sarcastically veering off into the first room, "wouldn't want that."

Of course, walking through the house I noticed everything was impeccably furnished with an 'extreme modern' motif. "Hey, I have that couch," Edward said as we walked through a sitting room in search of the kitchen.

It was red and wide and looked like the kind of couch you would find in the playboy mansion. "Of course you do," I mumbled as we exited the room into a marvellous kitchen.

There was a huge island with a multi-leveled counter and built in sink; a huge restaurant style range along the wall and a clear pane door refrigerator. On the higher tier of the massive island waited a bottle of wine and some glasses.

"Nice kitchen." Edward said putting down the boxes on one of the counters. He walked over to the bottle of wine and opened yet another engraved folder.

"You cook?" I questioned, pulling up a stool. He glanced at me and rolled his eyes.

"Edward Cullen, 26, Number Seven," his mouth quirked up on one side as he spoke; showing off his crooked smile. "Occupation: Billionaire. Likes cooking, long walks on the beach and horse riding. Did you actually read the article or…?"

"You caught me," I shrugged, "I only read the cover in the checkout at the grocery store."

He laughed and pulled the folder closer. "Good, the Vanity Fair article was better anyway."

The top page came into view and I could see the word 'rules' in huge embellished font on the top of the page. "Rule number one," he read aloud. "No unsanctioned contact with the outside world." He continued reading the list aloud.

**Rule 2:**

15 minutes a day (minimum) must be spent in the confession room. (see map of house)

**Rule 3:**

All free time must be spent in the company of the other participant except for confession room time and when activities call for it.

**Rule 4:**

Limit all bathroom time to less than 1 hour a day (combined) as that is the only area of the house not filmed.

**Rule 5:**

An effort must be made on both parts or the production company will sue for breech of contract.

**Rule 6:**

Have fun.

"Have fun?" I laughed in question. "Have fun is a rule?!"

"Apparently," he said conversationally, flipping over to the map. "I don't think that will be a problem."

I turned my face to hide my blush, even though he was still looking at the map.

"This doesn't make any sense," he said and I looked over to him as he spun the orientation of the map before putting it up right again. Without a word he left the room hastily. I looked around the kitchen, unsure of what just happened, before following him to the sitting area with the 'slutty' couch.

I found Edward standing in front the fireplace that had a huge mirror above the hearth. "According to the map, the confession room should right here," he said holding it out to me. In relation to the kitchen and front door, it seemed he was right.

"Hmmm…" I said, flipping the map around in my hands like he had. "Well, what's this green dot here?"

"What dot?" he asked coming up behind me. He stopped so close to look over my shoulder, that I could feel his breath on my neck. My whole body became rigid and my heart sped up. It was only a few seconds he stood at my shoulder, just enough time to see where I was pointing, but time seemed to slow down for that short instant.

I let out a long slow breath after he moved away from me to point at a candle stick. "They wouldn't, would they?"

Edward reached out to push the candlestick over, thinking it was a lever for some sort for a 'secret door'. Instead of proving to be some sort of lever it just clattered to the floor loudly, causing him to jump back. I laughed loudly at the whole scene.

"Apparently not…" I said walking over to a small green lamp that rested on the same table. I pulled on the string attached to the lamp and the faux fireplace opened up to a soundproof black room with a white sofa chair.

"How'd you know that?" he asked as I stepped away from the lamp and put a hand on my hip, feeling superior.

"Well," I said biting my lip and putting on a look of deep concentration. "Firstly, the lamp is green and secondly… there was a little tag that said 'pull me'."

"Oh," he said and scratched his head. When he lifted his arm he accidentally bared a part of his stomach and my previous confidence dissipated as my whole body flushed. "Well, I feel like and idiot," he laughed, his chuckle only making my stupor worsen. He straightened his shirt and continued, "An idiot who has seen Young Frankenstein one too many times.

"Lady's first," he said gesturing to the room.

"Huh?" I asked confused.

"15 minutes of confession _every _day. Let's get it over with because I'm bushed," he replaced the candlestick where it belonged and shooed me into the small room. The fireplace swung shut behind me and the timer started counting down.

I sit down on the couch that was there, still kinda dazed, "So," I started, looking directly into the camera. "I'm gonna tell you a little story. It starts with a guy named Bob…"

**

* * *

**

Between flying across the country, a tiring shopping experience where we had to buy our wardrobe, food and sneak Steve some liquorices and unpacking the groceries, it had made for a really long day. I walked up the stairs tiredly, in search of my bedroom.

Edward had been seriously weird since I stepped out of the confession room but I just knocked his odd behavior up to jet leg.

"Where do I sleep?" I called from the second floor, watching him emerge into the foyer below me.

"The bedroom's to the right," he said and started to climb the stairs.

"_The _bedroom," I stressed the word, "as in one."

He shrugged off the question and headed the direction he said the bedroom was. "Yep, unless you want to break rule number three already." When I reached the bedroom door he must have noted my shocked expression.

Edward put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry," he said giving it a gentle squeeze, "they didn't say we had to sleep in the same bed... I'll take the floor."

He turned the handle and opened the door. "Edward, that's stupid you should take the bed." He yawned, stretched and shook his head before he walked over to the massive bed; grabbing a pillow and throwing it on the floor for himself.

I stood in the doorway and watched as he dropped to the floor and tried to get comfortable.

"Better get some sleep, Bells," he said sleepily as I hadn't moved from the doorway. "God only know what we'll have to do tomorrow."

I walked, if not a little weak kneed from him call me 'Bells', to the bed. It wasn't until after I shimmied out of my jeans and crawled under the covers that realized just how big the bed was. About the same time I noticed how tired I actually was.

Rolling over and closing my eyes, I tried to fall asleep without thinking about how empty the bed felt. Before I could let the guilt sink in further, I drifted off into a comfortable, dreamless sleep. Just before I lost consciousness I heard Edward sigh, "Night, Bella."

**

* * *

**

**EPOV**

I shooed Bella into the little room wondering what she might confess in my absence. "The candlestick," I mumbled myself as I paced in front of the fireplace. "What did I think we were playing… Clue?"

A moment later I heard the static noise of a powering up TV. I looked around the room and found the source in the bottom corner of the mirror above the mantel. The mirror was semi transparent and I could see the light of the screen through it. The television looked like the 13" I had in my room as a kid. I took a few steps closer so my reflection didn't obscure it as much. The screen turned from static to picture.

"So, Edward…" the interviewer's voice crackled through the small speakers. "Can I call you Ed?"

"No," I said flatly, on the film and off. It was my admission tape, playing behind the mirror.

"Okaaay," the other voice said. They were behind the camera and I couldn't for the life of me, remember what they looked like. The only person on the screen was me. "First question. How many hours a week would you say spend watching reality television?"

"Oooo, that's hard one," I watched myself say. I smirked knowing the snarky answer to come. "Let me think… none."

"How about television in general?" he asked. I think the faint sounds of annoyed pen tapping could be heard in the background.

I smiled and nodded on screen, playing with the Styrofoam cup in front of me. "See answer to question one."

"It says here you're only in school to finish this semester and then you're being transferred. Where are you going and why?"

My younger naïve self's face lit up with excitement at the question. I still wasn't sure if the decision to leave back then was the worst or the best I had ever made in my life. "Harvard snatched me up for their business program and a few courses in the math and science departments. It's all happened so fast… it's kind of overwhelming.

The train wreck that was me gushed on film.

The other voice laughed, "You don't seem to be that interested in TV at all and you have so much going on. What could you possibly hope to gain from signing up for this?"

I could hardly watch myself anymore and at the same time, couldn't look away. I had this goofy far away look on my face that I always did when I thought about her. "There's this girl…"

"A girl?"

"Yeah. I'd probably do just about anything for a chance to be with her," I had said, looking away from the camera shyly.

"Well," the interviewer encouraged, seemingly more interested in me than before. "Who is she?"

The TV shut off and the fireplace swung open. I came face to face with the angel my younger self once spoke of, so fondly. Her big brown eyes widened in surprise when she saw me right in front of her before her expression turned worried.

She lifted her hand to cup my cheek and her thumb rubbed across my jaw. "Edward?" she asked, her voice also colored with worry. "Are you okay?"

I smiled and she pulled her hand away. "Perfect," I sighed, before going into the small room she had just vacated. "Just perfect…"

**Thanks for the reviews guys, I really hope you like this story as much as I do. Let me know if you have any ideas for activities/challenges they should do for the show. (I don't watch TV, I buy everything on disc)**

**REVIEW!! Pleasepleaseplease! I need to know what you thought. **


	4. in general, or half naked?

_Aaaaargh, my back. _I stretched and then shivered from the cold before searching around myself for a blanket. _I didn't pay four thousand dollars for a mattress just to wake up feeling like… _A small feminine sigh came from somewhere in the room.

My eyes snapped open as the memories of the previous two days came back to me.

I shot to my feet and caught sight of her. She was on the very edge of the bed, the blankets pushed down to just below her waist as she lay on her side. Her hair cascaded like a mahogany waterfall across the white pillowcase behind her. If anything, she looked even more beautiful in her sleep. One of her hands was in a tight fist on her pillow.

Walking from my position, at the end of the bed to the head of it, I lightly brushed my index finger over her knuckles. Her fist loosened.

There was no sense in disturbing her when she looked so peaceful. I grabbed some jeans (Costco jeans) and went into the connecting bathroom to shower. When I came out she was gone.

"Bella?" I called, but there was no answer. As I descended the stairs, the scent of bacon assaulted me before I got anywhere near the kitchen. Pushing open the swinging door, I saw Bella's back was to me as she stood over the stove. Her hair was up in a messy bun, revealing her long elegant neck. The sun caught a few stray loose hairs in its morning light, revealing subtle undertones of red in her locks.

I walked lightly across the tile floor until I was immediately behind her, waiting until the bacon was safely back in the pan before I grabbed her sides. "BOO!" I whispered playfully next to her ear.

Bella shrieked and jumped a full 180 in my arms. Instead of landing further away from me (as I was sure she intended) she fell clumsily into my chest.

"Edward," she screamed, her already big brown eyes widening in surprise. I got momentarily distracted by them before I noticed she too, was distracted. I looked down to her hands that were braced against my chest. Her eyes glazed over as she stared at them… at me.

After pulling on my jeans, I hadn't bothered putting on a shirt because I was still wet. I had thought little of it, but found myself glad for her reaction.

I didn't remove my hands from around her waist and couldn't help the smile that spread across my face before clearing my throat. I smiled wider when I saw the blush that stained her cheeks.

"Oh." She pushed away from me and backed into the counter with a violent thud, "Oof," then she spun around embarrassed and hit her knee off the counters edge. "Ow."

I cringed as the domino effect of her motions ended in her hurting herself. She hopped on one foot to a free stool. "Are you okay?" I asked. She shot me a dirty look as if it was my fault she hurt herself and started rubbing her knee.

"You shouldn't spring yourself on a girl like that," she stated, making a pained face when she rubbed a particularly tender spot.

"I shouldn't spring myself on you like that in general," I smirked, "Or I shouldn't do it half naked?" smiling as her cheeks turned from the fading pink to a lovely shade of red again.

I walked over to the stove to remove the eggs that just finished and stirred the hash browns. Both smelled delectable. As I was plating them, I looked up to meet her doe eyes. "You cook?" I asked, using the same inflection she had the day before when she asked me.

She put one long finger against her lips. "Shhhh," she hushed, accompanied by a wink, "don't tell People."

**

* * *

**

After breakfast, Bella and I cleaned the dishes. I washed and she dried. Every time our wet hands touched, the chill that settled in them from the water would be banished and replace with a slow burning sensation. Every blush and every giggle that escaped her endeared her even more to me.

I was in trouble. I didn't know how to approach the situation we found ourselves in. ME: completely enamored by her just as I had been when I first laid eyes on her. HER: having a boyfriend (although being a complete prick) that she had somehow fooled herself into believing she loved.

"I'm going to have a shower," she stated as we finished up. "YOU," she jabbed me in the chest with a damp finger. My breathe caught at the brief contact, "get some clothes on."

Just as I was about to retort with some witty and flirty remark, a shrill ring sounded in the house. We looked at one another confused before going in search for the source of the sound. I found it first and called her over. It was a red phone with no buttons; just a flashing light on top.

Bella started laughing as she plopped down on the couch in front of the phone. "What's so funny?" I asked, eyeing the screeching device.

She started humming, "Duna nuhnana Duna nuhnana Batmaaan," and started laughing again. When I sat down, I gave her a wide birth and watched her quizzically. "BATMAN!!" she yelled again, pointing to the phone. I had no idea what she was talking about.

"Never mind…" she grumbled and patted the cushion next to her. Confident her laughing had stopped, I moved to sit closer. My thigh ran perpendicular to hers, so close I could feel her body heat against me. When I leaned forward to grab the phone I discreetly spread my legs a little wider, with the guise of getting more comfortable, to close the short distance between our bodies. Not touching her was becoming more and more difficult and she still had been little more than indifferent toward me. If anything she jumped away from my touch more often than not.

Even still, her thigh felt glorious against mine. It was remarkable how much so little contact affected me. If only I could read minds to know what she was thinking.

I held the receiver to my ear and leaned toward Bella… the same time she leaned towards me. Our heads met in the middle with a loud conk. We both hissed in pain and pulled away rubbing our temples. "Sorry," she apologized, looking away ashamed. "That was entirely my fault. I'm such a--" I put a finger to her lips to stop her from blaming herself.

Leaning forward and minutely lifting off the couch, I placed my lips on her forehead where we collided. When my lips broke contact with her flesh and I sat back down, she looked back at me, eyes soft and thoughtful.

"I don't understand y--" she started.

"_Hello? …hello?_" a voice wafted out of the ear piece. "HELLLLOOO?"

"Tyler?" Bella asked, her face right next to mine. Our cheeks brushed each other as she spoke. I desperately wish I hadn't foregone shaving this morning, not thinking we would find ourselves in such close proximity.

"Hey, Bella. Can I speak to Edward for just a second?"

"Yea, sure," she said, moving herself out of earshot and away from me. I let out a slow long breathe, I hadn't realized I was holding until I felt her absence.

"Yea," I breathed out, shooting one last look at Bella, who had already busied herself with tapping some kind of song on her knee.

"Hey, Ed Man," Tyler said nervously. I winced at the impromptu nick name. "Firstly, about yesterday--"

I felt the need to interrupt before I was subjected to some sort of unnecessary and embarrassing (on both our parts) apology. "Don't worry about it, lots of men think I'm hot."

Bella snorted, obviously failing miserably at not eavesdropping on our conversation. _That didn't come out right,_ I thought and was about to say so when he started speaking again.

"Secondly," Tyler continued as if I hadn't said anything at all, "How could you _not _know about the Batman phone?"

* * *

The phone call was short and to the point. We assured Tyler we understood his very vague outline. He would be calling us regularly with activities for the day but as they only needed to fill 3 hours television a week and most of it would be everyday interactions anyway, our schedule was pretty lax.

Today was hanging out, 'One-on-One'. We were supposed to tend to the horses, try out the pool, explore the house and play a game. They would tell us what game when the time came.

"Was that phone in here when you came through this morning?" Bella asked leaning back into the armrest and her feet propped up between us on the couch, "because it wasn't there when I went to make breakfast and I didn't hear anybody come in."

"It's kinda creepy…" I said, "knowing people are watching our every move and not knowing when other people are here or not."

She shuttered and made a creeped out noise. "I was doing okay not thinking about it before you said that," she rolled her eyes. "Thanks."

I had always wondered why she had signed up for this show in the first place, all those years ago. She was never one to enjoy the spotlight. "Why are you here?" I asked leaning back on my own armrest, facing her.

"I was kidnapped outside my work by Bob," she laughed, "I didn't exactly have a choice."

"That's not what I _meant_," I shook my head and my hair fell in my face. I blew it up and out of my eyes with a frustrated huff. "I meant, why did you sign up for the show in the first place?"

She shrugged and stared off into space. "A friend made me. There were over two hundred girls in line to sign up at my university alone. I didn't think I had much to worry about." She smiled and covered her eyes, embarrassed. "I guess I was wrong."

While she had her eyes covered I took the opportunity to look her up and down. She had grown into her body since… I started with her feet which were closest to me; observing cute little toes on her dainty foot. Her calves had grown to be shapely and well toned; milky in color, like the rest of her skin. I barely restrained myself from reaching out and running my hand along her ankle and up the smooth muscle of her leg.

Her knees had a few scars, raised white marks from hitting the ground as many times as she probably had. They were beautiful. I wanted to run my fingers over each imperfection that was perfectly Bella.

Bella's thighs, _oh her thighs_, had became curvier over the years to hold her more womanly figure.

"Edward?" she asked, snapping me from my daze. She brought her knees to her chest and covered them with her hands shyly. "What were you looking at?" She fingered her scars self consciously.

"You," I replied, not ashamed in the least.

"Well, don't take this the wrong way," she said and looked away, "but don't."

_Ouch_. It felt like she hit me in the gut. I stood up and walked around the couch to put something between us.

"I have a boyfriend that I made a promise to and you are trying to--"

"I'm not trying to do anything," I yelled, all of a sudden angry. "And you don't owe that asshole from the airport anything."

"You don't know anything about him!!" She yelled right back at me. "Or me, for that matter." _If only she knew…_

"I know he doesn't deserve you."

She crossed her arms in front of her and looked down. "I'm no prize, Edward." I felt the urge to grab her shoulders and shake some sense into her. If there hadn't been a couch between us, I might have.

I watched as Bella put her lip between her teeth. She looked back at me, tears brimming in her eyes. How I wished I knew what she was thinking…

"I don't want to fight with you…" she whispered. I didn't say anything for a long moment. All I could do was watch as she abused that bottom lip of hers.

"Then don't," was my only reply.

Bella sighed and turned to sit on the couch properly, her back turned on me. "So today we get to know each other… so we can be friends. What day is it again?"

"Thursday," I offered, doing the mental calculation in my head. We were taken on Tuesday Tomorrow was—

"And Friday's are 'Date Night*s'," she started going over our weekly schedule that Tyler had just shared with us. She paused a moment in thought and I watched her shoulders rise and fall in a half hearted shrug, from behind. "On Sundays and Wednesdays we do challenges. Sunday nights have a different 'prize' each one. A phone call or a privilege the other person won't get."

"Yep," I confirmed, watching the back of her head. I wondered if she was still upset and her bravado was just an act.

She looked over her shoulder at me with a smile. Maybe she wasn't as upset as I thought. "That's hardly incentive for us to like each other much."

"I guess we'll be like every other television couple then. We'll have a love-hate relationship. It'll be great…" Bella shook her head at me and turned back around to face the fire place. Seeing as she wasn't scowling anymore, I decided it was safe to join her on the couch again.

"On Wednesdays the winner of the challenges gets to pick the next date and I'm Your*s will make whatever it is happen."

"That's the gist." _I have to win next Wednesday_. "You should put on some jeans so we can head out to the stables."

She kept her face carefully stoic but I noticed her skin pale.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"No," she said curtly, her expression frozen in place. "Nothing at all."

I felt her body shaking ever so slightly. "Are you sure?" I asked again. She shook her head roughly from side to side before standing up and walking away quickly. Her posture was rigid and her movements forced. I stood up with her and followed. "Okay, really," I put a hand on her shoulder and she stopped. "What's going on?"

"I'll tell you but you have to promise not to laugh," she said, holding an accusing finger in front of my face. I nodded my agreement. Hesitantly she opened her mouth but no sound came out. She closed it again and averted her gaze. "I'm…I-I'm scared of horses."

"You're scared of horses?" I repeated with disbelief.

Bella threw her arm over her head and her faced flushed several different colors. "YES!!" she scream and it echoed off the walls of the large foyer. "I'm scared of horses and it was the fear I listed on that stupid questionnaire they made me take when I signed up for this stupid show. This is somebody's sick idea of a joke, isn't it? Somebody wants me to get trampled by a horse and die in the middle of Montana… _on film _no less!!"

She was scared of horses. Not just scared. I could see it behind her eyes. She was fucking terrified. I didn't know how to handle the sheer terror emanating from her. I didn't know how to make her _not _scared, as I desperately wanted to.

"It's okay," I soothed and she looked at me like I was crazy. "Horses are gentle, they won't hurt you on purpose and--"

"But they can hurt me by accident?!" she screeched. I could see that I wasn't helping much.

"I won't let them hurt you by accident either," I assured as I put a comforting hand on both her shoulders.

Bella shook her head and looked to the floor, fearful tears in her eyes. "That's reassuring… Accidents by definition are unintentional and hard to be prevented. _Impossible _when I'm involved in the equation." I rubbed one thumb under her tearing eye and a dot of moisture covered the end of it. I resisted the urge to lick it off.

"What did you put?" she breathed in an attempt to distract herself. I asked her what she meant.

"What did you put as your fear?"

I hadn't even thought about that. Was my fear going to come back and bite me in the ass, too? "You don't think…" she looked up into my eyes with an evil glint as sweat broke out on my brow just thinking about it. She nodded with a smirk.

"So, what is _Edward Cullen_ afraid of?" she whispered, an excited color returning to her face at the thought of my discomfort.

_Two can play at that game_, I thought to myself and laughed internally. "About those horses…" I started. The color drained once again from her face. I smiled triumphantly before starting up the stairs without her. "That's what I thought."

**

* * *

**

It was nice taking care of something besides than myself for a change. Between the horses which were both beautiful and extremely tame and Bella who didn't have the first clue about how to take care of them I was blissfully occupied.

I realized I hadn't thought about work since I laid eyes on Bella that first night in the lounge… and it was nice. I hadn't thought about a single acquisition or a single missed meeting or what effect my 3 month absence would have on the company. In addition I hadn't had one of my many head aches the day usually had to offer.

_Was it just getting away or was it who I was getting away with? Hmm…_

Thankfully the stall had already been mucked. Even I had my limits and dealing with the beast's excrement my very first day in the house would not have been my idea of fun. I showed Bella where the food and water went and took the first horse out of its stall. Bella shrunk back toward the door.

I sighed and patted the mare's neck, "Don't worry, Nadine," I addressed the horse, "Bella doesn't bite."

"That's not funny!" Bella stomped her foot as her face grew red with frustration. I walked to her side and guided her toward the horse. All the while she pulled away from my grasp while her feet drug through the dirt and straw. She muttered quiet curses under her breath each step I forced her to take closer.

"Nadine, Bella. Bella, Nadine," I gestured between the two. The horse blinked.

Bella shied her whole body into mine and I tensed as her nose brushed my chest. I couldn't control the instinct to encompass her entirely with the arm that wasn't soothing the horse. I ran my hand down Bella's shoulder and along her arm that was held defensively in front of her, between her body and the horse. My fingers threaded with hers and a sharp gasp escaped her lips. I assumed it was a fearful gasp and squeezed her fingers gently. Slowly lifting our entwined fingers to the horse's neck, I ran them together over Nadine's course yet soft hair.

Bella's stiff posture relaxed infinitesimally. "See," I said moving her hand down along the smooth contour of the shoulder, lifting our hands and repeating the action, "She's not so bad." She craned her neck to look me in the eyes, the corners of her mouth hinting at a smile. I stilled our hands together and let her feel the horse's slow, steady breaths. Something akin to wonder reflected back to me in her chocolate brown orbs.

"Not so bad at all," she smile tentatively and returned her attention back to the horse. "I could get used to--" the horse let out a content appreciative snort from the attention and Bella shrieked, escaping my embrace to the other side of the barn.

"Bella, she just--" I started only to be interrupted.

"I'll just stay over here." She said with finality. I could see there would be no changing her mind.

"Okay," I conceded, "but tomorrow you're helping."

She nodded, a short jerky movement that held very little conviction. "T-Tomorrow," she agreed.

**

* * *

**

_Why am I so nervous?_ My palms were sweating and my knee was bouncing up and down as I sat on the bed waiting for Bella. _Oh, right. You're nervous because you know exactly what Bella is doing on the other side of that door._

I thought back to our Costco trip and our "task" in the clothing department. Steve had leaned in to Bella (maybe a little too close) and handed her a heavy white envelope. She had opened it and thanked him with a smile… which immediately faded as she read its contents.

"What?" I had asked. "What's wrong?" I took the envelope from her hands and read the contents myself. "_Oh_."

Steve smirked at Joey knowingly.

_Pick out swimming apparel for your love interest._

Both cameramen pointed in the direction of two racks, obviously with a few added pieces from Costco usual selection, for us to choose from. "How bad can it be?" I shrugged.

_Bad,_ I thought, after taking a look at the women's selection. I had never before picked out a woman's bathing suit and just thinking about Bella in some of the options was stressful enough. There would be no way I could survive an afternoon, let alone a few months with her wearing any of the barely there suits I had to choose from.

I looked up to see Bella holding up a Speedo and she caught me watching her before looking away with a blush. Thankfully I was sitting on the bed waiting for her in tasteful white board shorts with black and silver diamonds down one leg. They may have hung a little low on my hips but at least I got off better than Bella had.

She cleared her throat in the bathroom doorway. I looked up slowly from my lap to the beautiful girl in front of me. It was the most conservative suit the had; one piece of fabric that was cut like a hater bikini on top with the whole back and most of her stomach exposed except for a scant piece of fabric connecting the top and bottoms. The suit was black with red and silver accents, all three colors contrasted so well with her skin that I found myself mesmerized by the line of her waist and the flare of her hip.

"Thank you," she said as she wrapped a towel around her waist.

I shook my head to clear it of the mental image that was burned there. "Huh?"

"Thank you for picking out this suit," she brushed her hair behind both of her ears nervously and shifted her weight from foot to foot beside the bed. "I saw some of the 'suits' they had there and this is…it's… just, thanks."

"Your welcome," I smiled, "It looks amazing on you." I stood up and turned around for her. "I like your handy work too."

When I turned back around she was looking at the shorts, at least I thought it was the shorts before she mumbled, "I'm pretty sure it's all you." I chuckled and her eyes shot up to meet mine. One of her hands flew up to her mouth and her eyes widened with horror.

"I can't believe I said that," she said through her fingers.

"It's alright," I laughed.

"But I shouldn't ha--"

"How about that swimming?" I said before she could berate herself further.

"I'm so s--" Before an apology could escape her lips I took a step towards her and threw her over my shoulder. She shrieked at the unexpected maneuver and started to squirm and laugh in her predicament. "E-ED-DWARD!" she laughed, her voice shaking with each step I took toward the stairs. "Put—me-- dow-own."

She squirmed so much the towel slipped past her waist and it did not go unnoticed by me as her bared sides brushed against my neck. With each laugh I felt her muscles contract against my cheeks and it felt good.

Knowing I could make her laugh and touch her, knowing she would pretend to be mad after I let her down, knowing I would hold no reservations before doing it again.

I had 3 months to make the girl of my dreams mine… I just didn't know how I was going to go about doing it.

Stopping by the edge of the pool she stopped moving so I could put her down. "Edward?" she said breathless as the wheels in my head were turning.

"Edward?!" she said again with more panic. "Don't even think about it."

I was thinking about it.

"Edward," she scolded. "Don't--"

Her protests were futile as I already had. She clung to my body tighter before we hit the water. I would remember the moments that she clung to me with a smile… the whole time she yelled at me for it afterward.

**I'm sorry. I took a little impromptu break from writing and I totally missed it… and you guys. This wasn't the best chapter ever but I thought Bella and Edward had to build a little more rapport before we can get to the good stuff.**

**MBM next!! (Soon, I promise) REVIEW! It'll put me back in the mood to write again.**

**~Tish**


	5. Bad News

Hey Guys,

I won't be writing anything more for this site. For more information you can see the most recently posted chapter on Must Be Mistaken.

This story was so much fun to write and I have a good portion of the next chapter done as well as a fairly good idea of what I had in mind. If there is any interest in carrying on I'm Yours, I'd be happy to pass on the reigns and what I have left to the brave individual.

For the rest, I'm really sorry if this upset you. I can honestly say I will miss writing for you and all your feedback.

Love,

Tish


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